#embracingthesouth: Pups and Cups Dog Cafe

I pass by it all the time, so I figured it would be nice for Akira to visit a dog café too.

With the exception of my friend Macon who can’t seem to pass up any opportunity that involves cute dogs, it was all our first time to visit a dog café.

Like Macon, I agree that Corgis are special little angels on four legs. You know, before this visit, I’ve never seen one irl, or interacted with one!

So it was such a treat for Pups and Cups to have two Corgis: Valerie and Arrow. That’s Arrow making me squeal. Turned out he goes nuts over paper. He really wanted to have my receipt, haha.

To interact with the dogs, entrance fee is at P190. It comes with a same-priced drink. The cafe is divided into two – the dining area and the room where you interact with the dogs.

They limit the number of people that go inside the interaction area, so we decided to have a snack while waiting.

It’s good they don’t let huge groups go in all at the same time, and they limit interaction time to about an hour and half only as well. It’s for everybody’s safety and enjoyment, including the dogs.

When it was time for us to go in, we were asked to put our footwear in lockers and use their rubber slippers. We were also forewarned – but there’s pretty much nothing that can be done about it anyway – that entering the room for the first time is an assault on your sense of smell.

It’s hard to describe – it is strong, it is intense, it is not necessarily a stink, but a definite dog smell that goes straight to the back of the brain. But then, the sensation goes away quickly, and after just a few minutes you’re not bothered by the smell anymore.

The day we went, there were 2 Corgis, a Pug, a Poodle, a Pomeranian, and a Shih Tzu ‘on duty’. There’s also Buddy the Golden Retriever, who just stays in the locker area. There’s always an attendant or two inside the room at all times, too.

My kid developed a soft spot for the Poodle, Noodle, and was referring to him as ‘my dog’.

Recommendations

There might be big groups ahead of you, so be prepared to wait. If going on a weekend, it might be a good idea to call ahead on a good time to drop by.

When with small children, brief them on proper dog handling. When we went that day, we saw more kids who were kind of scared of dogs more than kids that are bound to get gigilwith them. Let them take their time in approaching and playing with a dog and just always be on hand in case they get scared. It’s too easy to get distracted with taking pictures and playing with the cuties!

This is our big mistake too, so do learn from it: Don’t wear dark colored clothes! You will leave with some fur on your clothes, there’s no avoiding it! 🙂

When it comes to clothing, I would also recommend wearing pants and a shirt. Comfy clothing. Maxi dresses, flowy tops, clothes in delicate fabric are best used some other time. What about shorts? They’re ok, but know that some dogs tend to jump up on you when they get excited, so don’t complain about minor scratches. For kids, I’d still say stick to pants and a shirt 🙂

The time for freshening up and putting on scents is after interacting with the dogs. Dogs have a strong sense of smell and you’ll be inside a small room. In fact, if you have somewhere else to go afterwards, bring an extra shirt 🙂